The house was filled where the early believers had met. Happiness and joy lit up each face, even those who had suffered during the week because of the faith they had adopted and the cause to which they were married. Embraces were common and holy kisses were exchanged.
One of the older men called the meeting to order by announcing that brother Jason had words of encouragement to share with the corporate body and that he should be heeded. Jason was seated on the floor near the east corner of the large upper room. He stood up and told the congregation how God had used him to convince several of the townspeople that the resurrected Jesus was truly God’s Son and the believer’s Messiah. Everyone expressed joy.
When Jason had completed his remarks, Matthew motioned to the leaders of the assembly from within the semi-circle that he had something to say. Following his comments an exchange of messages, statements, and questions ensued. Occasionally, one of the overseers (shepherds) interrupted to maintain order or to clarify a point.
Freedom For All!
Voices of concern, love, and compassion were heard. No one was denied the freedom to share words of comfort and exhortation with the assembled group. There was no platform to mount or pulpit to lean on. The setting was informal and family-like. All things were open and mutual. “Amen” and “Praise the Lord” were heard often as everyone, without show or display, demonstrated his interest and elation.
One brother sang a psalm to the enjoyment of all. Two others offered special prayers for their imprisoned brothers and afflicted sisters. All of the pastors (shepherds) read portions of the Old Covenant scriptures and offered brief explanations and exhortations. They did not appear to be of the ecclesiastical mold or theological legislators or professional functionaries.
Nucleus Of The Meeting
The Lord’s Supper was the cardinal exercise of the meeting, and it was merged with a “love feast” or common meal. As part of the “love feast,” everyone shared a large loaf and drank fruit of the vine in memory of what their Messiah had sacrificed on their behalf. An expression of serious celebration was seen on each face. No one looked as though he was at a funeral. They were exhilarated because the man Jesus had died for them!
As there was no edifice to make a payment on and no clergyman to support, there was no immediate monetary need. Therefore, no collection was taken. However, one of the shepherds (pastors) announced, “We have just received word that Paul and John will be passing through within a week to ten days to collect money for Jerusalem’s destitute saints. We admonish each one of you to lay something aside at home so that no collection will have to be made when they arrive.”
Do We Resemble Them?
If I have read the new scriptures correctly, I believe this to be a fairly accurate description of the communal meetings of the early believers. If a comparison were to be made between their meetings and ours, hardly anything in common would be found. Note the following observations:
- Theirs were informal but serious.
Ours are ritualistic and formalistic.
- Theirs were periods of celebration and joy.
Ours are somber and restrained.
- Their activities were shared jointly.
Ours are “preacher-centered,” for everything revolves around him.
- Theirs were incessant worship.
Ours consist of specific “acts of worship” and no more.
- Words of love and compassion, spoken prior to their meetings, were worship.
The same words spoken prior to our “services” are not worship, for worship doesn’t begin until the hands on the clock are at a certain crossroads.
- Their meetings were alive and active.
Ours are “services,” as at a funeral.
- Their meetings were without the professional ecclesiastic.
Ours would “die on the vine” without him.
Who Breaks The “Bread Of Life?”
Only recently I received a “church bulletin” from Colorado wherein the “evangelist” announced his resignation and expressed his appreciation that God had granted him the noble opportunity of “ministering to the saints.” He had been with them five and one-half years and felt it was time to move on to other “evangelistic fields.” In his concluding remarks, he stated, “We pray you will find a suitable man to break the bread of life unto you.”
Get the picture? The bread of life cannot be broken without the employment of a professional ecclesiastic. The saints would suffer from spiritual malnutrition without him! He’s the minister, the priest, the preacher, the pastor, and the orator. Shades of hallelujah, how far we have drifted! We now demand to be spoon-fed by a special feeder. We have not matured to the point of feeding ourselves. So we all gather at the church corral on Sunday mornings to warm pews while an imported hireling prepares our spiritual food and spoon-feeds us. Is it any wonder we haven’t matured in the faith? I’ll let you in on a little secret. Read it carefully, please.
Nowhere in the New Covenant scriptures can we find an example of any man being imported by a congregation of believers to function as the minister, the pastor, or the preacher. And that is because the early believers ministered to and edified one another. They didn’t find it necessary to import a professional ecclesiastic to do their ministering for them. They exported men to evangelize, and supported them financially, but no one was ever imported to do what all believers should be doing—ministering to one another. In our contemporary scene, we hire and pay big bucks to a specialist to function as a proxy, the exact opposite of what the early believers practiced.
Let’s Get Down To Brass Tacks
Any principle or practice we introduce in our assemblies today that either denies or interferes with the reciprocity of the saints, such as our “one another” exchanges or joint participation—as the scriptures define it—is a grave innovation.
We ought to be reminded that if a congregation can import a man and pay him a big salary to do all or most of the public speaking, the same congregation can import another man and pay him a healthy salary to do all of the singing, and still another man to do all of the praying—for a salary, of course. Well, you get the idea. The principle that allows one, allows the others.
To state it more explicitly, if importing specialists to feed the flock is heaven’s way, all of our gifts can be performed by proxy. As a result, all we need do is warm a pew and wait till heaven arrives! For, after all, we’re paying others to do our ministries.
The universal biblical principle, found throughout, is that in the assembly of the saints, all gifts are to be shared mutually. The “hired hand” interferes with and disrupts this principle. Do you suppose Paul had the professional minister in mind when he told the Roman believers they were “able to instruct one another” (Rom. 15:14)? Surely he was not referring to a one-man instructor! And was Paul coming off the wall with a lot of nonsense when he told the believers at Colosse they were to “teach and admonish one another” (Col. 3:16)? The one-man admonisher was nowhere to be found.
The Rule In Each Assembly
In the early assemblies, there was a mutual exchange of praises, teaching, sharing, and singing. No one person did it all. The Thessalonians were told to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11). And there’s more. The point is: When we substitute this “one another” arrangement with a counterfeit device, such as the professional minister, we are guilty of disrupting heaven’s blueprint for spiritual growth. There’s no way to avoid this conclusion.
Take a look at our “house churches.” Where’s the pulpit minister? He’s not needed! Why? Because all attendees contribute their share, as God’s grace abounds within them, and as He confers a diversity of gifts among them. Now tell me: Why in heaven’s name are we incapable of conducting our “church services” in the same fashion? The reason is because we have gone professional! We have abandoned common ground in favor of skilled specialists. We want the world to know how sophisticated and refined we have become. So we go all out to import the best and build the fanciest edifices. We have adopted idolatry, just as surely as we have substituted a bogus system.
The End Or The Beginning?
When will it all end? In the trashheap of by-gone religions unless we wise up and address our deficiencies and get back to the basics of edifying and strengthening
one another. The situation will not improve until and unless we rediscover the
one another arrangement, as is so clearly outlined in scripture. May God open our hearts and minds to do just that.
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